


this isn't the stain of a red wine, i'm bleeding love

by vanillabeanniall



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Amortentia, Fluff, Hogwarts AU, M/M, fluff fluff fluff, its all fluff, love potion, side Ziam, thats all i write im really predictable, very side - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-25 10:19:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6191200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanillabeanniall/pseuds/vanillabeanniall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Professor Slughorn dropped the cauldron onto the table. “Amortentia,” he began dramatically. “The most powerful love potion in the world. It can create illusions of love, can rejuvenate a person, and sometimes, though rarely, reveal a soulmate. Distinctive for its mother-of-pearl sheen and spiral steam, amortentia smells different to each person, according to what attracts them. It creates infatuation, but not love, and your job today is to make it so I can show it off to my sixth-years.”</p>
<p>Harry nods. “Alright. How do we do that?”</p>
<p>Slughorn slammed a book down on the table dramatically. The man needs to calm the fuck down, honestly. “It’s all in here, boys.”</p>
<p>Louis nodded. “So, Professor, if you’re teaching me all about this now, what am I supposed to do in class?”</p>
<p>Slughorn smiled. It was creepy, like a frog licking its lips. “Sleep, maybe. Seems like that’s what you usually do, anyway.”</p>
<p>Harry let out a loud laugh at that, and Louis frowned. Letting pretty boys know about your lack of scholarly potential was not the way to get them to marry you and have twelve babies with you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	this isn't the stain of a red wine, i'm bleeding love

**Author's Note:**

> so i wrote this so long ago and totally forgot to post it.... oops//
> 
> dedicated to my beta and good pal tumblrella ur the real mvp
> 
> all the usual disclaimers apply
> 
> so without further ado..... my third hogwarts au !

Louis loved Potions. He’d taken it for six years now and was just so fascinated by the science of it. And the explosions. But like, you can have a simple little sneezing solution, right? And you just add in the smallest drop of tree sap or the smallest sliver of dried lizard tail and suddenly you best not be drinking that motherfucker unless you want to sprout a tail or turn your hair a violent purple (speaking from experience on that last bit, though Louis still insisted he pulled it off. Liam begrudgingly agreed). Or if you even add in an ingredient at the wrong time, like if you put the crushed beetle in before the eighth mix instead of after,  _ bam! _ you’re fucked! Louis loves it.

 

Then again, it’s easy to love something when you’re great at it.

 

Professor Slughorn had actually said that Louis was the best in sixth year. But Slughorn praised Louis constantly and was an armchair half the time, so Louis took that with a grain of salt. But really, Louis was good. Which was why he’d been asked to come in down into the dungeons on a perfectly nice Sunday afternoon to brew some Amortentia for Slughorn to show to his sixth-years. Fake-ass bitch was probably gonna take all the credit, too.

 

So that’s why Louis was down here, instead of out in the sun where he should by all rights be, sitting by the lake with Liam and his fifth-year model boyfriend, Zayn. Trying to push Liam into the lake, really. With help from Zayn.

 

Louis bleakly pushed open the heavy door to the Potions classroom, blinking in the dimness of the whole level. You’d think he’d be used to it, as a Slytherin. He went to collapse on a big wooden desk in the middle of the room, but someone had beaten him to it.

 

Louis cocked his head at the mess of curly hair currently spread out over the table on top of a (quite nice) pair of arms. These, and a (lovely) neck as well, were attached to a (nice, broad) back (which Louis would quite like to observe a little more actually). And this back, in turn, was attached to some (long, long) legs (probably long enough that they’d be taller than Louis if he stood up) and the rest of a person, as these things usually were.

 

Louis dropped his bag on the table with a  _ thunk _ .

 

The figure jolted up, accidentally slamming an elbow into Louis’ stomach as they did, like some sort of gangly baby deer who simply lacked the muscle control to function like a real person. Or real deer. Depending.

 

Louis grunted from the impact. The boy (because, he could see now, it  _ was _ a boy) squeaked and raised wide eyes to Louis’ face.

 

“Oops,” he whispered. And, seriously,  _ oops _ ? What the fuck was up with that? Who says that when they maul another person with a flying body part? But Louis didn’t even care about the dumb response, because the boy was just so pretty, and Louis, being a SuperGay ™, was quick to forgive pretty boys. He had wide green eyes, greener than they had any right to be, really, and a perfectly formed pale face, with plush pink lips that Louis had to restrain himself from touching. Because it’s fucking weird to go around touching the pretty lips of the pretty boy you haven’t even said a word to. Which reminds him.

 

“Hi,” Louis whispered back. Whispering was the only way to talk when you run into a god, after all.

 

They boy blushed, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry,” he whispered. “Didn’t mean to do that.”

 

Louis blushed back, which was stupid, because 1) this boy had _hit_ _him_ , and 2) now he was _smiling_ , and Louis was _smiling back_. But it was easy to forget the previous accidental violence after hearing a voice as deep and soft as the pale boy’s was.

 

Louis slid onto the bench next to him. “It’s no problem, actually,” he said. “Didn’t even hurt much, really, I’ve been working on my abs for Quidditch.” Louis winced. He didn’t really say that to the prettiest boy in the world, did he? Shit, he must have sounded like such a fuckboy.

 

But the other boy didn’t seem to mind. “Oh, yeah, you’re on Slytherin’s team, aren’t you? That really small Seeker, right?”

 

Louis pouted. “I’m not small, you’re just a giant.”

 

The other boy smiled widely at him, a dimple popping in his cheek. Louis suddenly decided he needed to drink butterbeer out of that dimple.

 

“Maybe,” the other boy said slowly. “Well, then, hello, I’m Harry the Giant.”

 

Louis smiled. “And I’m Louis the perfectly normal-sized person.”

 

Harry grinned lopsidedly again. “What are you doing in the dungeons instead of enjoying this beautiful day?”

 

Louis opened his mouth to reply, but just then Professor Slughorn burst in with arms full of a cauldron that was full as well, effectively stopping Louis from impressing the prettiest boy in the world and probably his soulmate with his amazingly sharp wit.

 

“Hello, boys,” said Professor Slughorn. Loudly. “Got here early, eh?”

 

Louis raised an eyebrow. “I think you’re actually just late.”

 

Slughorn laughed boisterously. “Such a quick wit this one has.” He winked at Harry. “Anyway, down to business, right?”

 

He dropped the cauldron onto the table. “Amortentia,” he began dramatically. “ The most powerful love potion in the world. It can create illusions of love, can rejuvenate a person, and sometimes, though rarely, reveal a soulmate. Distinctive for its mother-of-pearl sheen and spiral steam, amortentia smells different to each person, according to what attracts them. It creates infatuation, but not love, and your job today is to make it so I can show it off to my sixth-years.”

 

Harry nods. “Alright. How do we do that?”

 

Slughorn slammed a book down on the table dramatically. The man needs to calm the fuck down, honestly. “It’s all in here, boys.”

 

Louis nodded. “So, Professor, if you’re teaching me all about this now, what am I supposed to do in class?”

 

Slughorn smiled. It was creepy, like a frog licking its lips. “Sleep, maybe. Seems like that’s what you usually do, anyway.”

 

Harry let out a loud laugh at that, and Louis frowned. Letting pretty boys know about your lack of scholarly potential was not the way to get them to marry you and have twelve babies with you.

 

“Anyway,” Slughorn continues, “I’m going to go outside. It’s a beautiful day, you know! Just leave potion in here when you finish, and I’ll see you at dinner!” And he left. That old fucker.

 

“Well,” Louis said, pulling the book over to him and opening it. “Can’t be too hard.”

 

Harry giggled. Louis was endeared. “He did pick us for our amazing prodigy skills, after all.”

 

Louis skimmed the page with the amortentia’s brewing instructions. “Fuck, that looks hard.”

 

Harry looked seriously at Louis. “We’re going to die in here.”

 

Louis stared a little too long at Harry’s eyes. “Probably,” he agreed cheerily. “Well, let’s get to work then, Harold!”

 

“That’s not my name, Lewis,” Harry said.

 

“And that isn’t mine, dear Harold.”

 

They set to work, laying out ingredients and neatly slicing, mixing and powdering them.

 

“What do you think yours will smell like?” Harry asked.

 

“Dunno,” Louis responded. “It says it’ll smell like people and things you love.”

 

Harry looked at the book. “Says here it should smell like your soulmate, too.”

 

Louis raised an eyebrow. “How the fuck would that help anyone? Does the wizarding community want me to go ‘round smelling every bloke I see until I find a match?”

 

Harry smiled widely at that information, looking like he’d stored something away there. “I hope my soulmate doesn’t smell like shit,” he said casually.

 

Louis choked on a laugh. “Oh, god, I hadn’t considered that.”

 

Harry laughed. “I actually think mine will smell like the bakery I work at in the summer and fresh parchment. And my mum, probably,” he blushed.

 

Louis smiled softly. “I think mine will smell like my mum, my sisters, the cut grass on the Quidditch pitch, and Chocolate Frogs.”

 

Harry laughed. “Chocolate Frogs, really?”

 

Louis shrugged. “They taste good, Harold!”

 

Harry smiled bashfully. “You’re sweet enough…”

 

Louis hid his smile and blush in his shirt as he read the instructions, listening happily to Harry shuffling around next to him.

 

The boys naturally drifted closer as they worked. Louis figured they’d be out in less than an hour, but brewing the potion was proving to be fucking hard, and he wasn’t about that. It was frustrating, and kept getting more frustrating, and Louis found himself snapping at Harry more as they kept going.

 

First they’d add a wrong ingredient, then they’d stir it wrong, then the damn thing would just turn purple instead of blue for no discernable reason, and Louis was really starting to despise love potions.

 

“What the fuck is this even supposed to be!” he exclaimed.

 

“It says that right now it should be a ‘smooth blood-orange color.’” Harry read.

 

“Blood orange!” Louis practically yelled. “ _ Blood orange _ ? That’s so  _ fucking _ pretentious! It’s  _ fucking _ red!”

 

Harry shrugged. “I dunno, I think they’re different. It’s like an orangey-red, you know?”

 

“No,” Louis said sharply, “I don’t fucking know, because blood orange isn’t a fucking color!”

 

Harry shrugged. “It says blood orange.”

 

“I know what it says, Harold,” Louis snapped.

 

Harry frowned pointing to the mixture in the cauldron (the third batch so far). “At least ours is the right color.”

 

“Red,” Louis muttered.

 

Finally, the potion seemed to be right, and it turned a pleasant gold as Louis sprinkled in the last powdered beetle. The steam spiralled up into the air, and it had a nice pearl sheen to it. Louis looked at Harry. “I think we actually did it. I almost don’t want to know if it isn’t right.”

 

Harry looked at Louis with wide eyes. “Let’s smell it together, then.”

 

Louis nodded, and they both leaned in.

 

Louis paused with his head over the cauldron, next to Harry’s, but all he could smell was the amplified apple smell of Harry’s curls.

 

“What the fuck?” Louis said. “Isn’t it supposed to have a smell?”

 

Harry frowned, pulling back. “Why isn’t it working?”

 

“I can’t smell a damn thing!” Louis growled. “We fucked it up!”

 

“No!” Harry protested. “I’m 110% sure we did it exactly right this time!”

 

“Well, obviously we didn’t!” Louis argued.

 

“Well maybe I would be able to smell something if you hadn’t spent so much time on the Quidditch pitch! You smell like fucking grass and wood!”

 

“You’re one to talk, Mr. Buckets of Apple Conditioner!”

 

“What the fuck!” Harry growled. “How did we fuck it up? I followed the instructions exactly! We were so careful?”

 

Louis frowned. “Obviously you read them wrong, then!”

 

Harry frowned back. “I’m sure I didn’t!”

 

They argued pointlessly back and forth for a good ten minutes before they were interrupted by the slamming open of the dungeon door.

 

“Boys!” Slughorn greeted. “My two potions prodigies! How’s the potion!” he paused. “Oh, it looks perfect! The color, the shine, the steam! Good job!”

 

He rushed over to the table and took in a deep breath, sighing. “Ah, the smell of sweet cake! And my soft linens! This is my absolute favorite potion, and I must say you did a fantastic job!”

 

Louis frowned, confused. “What-” he started.

 

Slughorn cut in. “This is amazing, boys, but such a pain to make, innit? Thank you so much for doing this for me. Twenty points to Slytherin and Hufflepuff each! Well, goodbye! I’m going to see if the house-elves will bake me a cake.”

 

And the fat little wizard swept out of the room.

 

“Perfect?” Louis echoed, confused.

 

“But I didn’t smell anything,” Harry said quietly.

 

“And I could only smell your weird apple shit,” Louis said just as softly.

 

A weird look suddenly came over Harry’s face. “My apple conditioner?”

 

Louis nodded.

 

“But Niall was hogging the shower this morning. I didn’t get a chance to use it today.”

 

Louis’ eyes grew wide, but Harry’s grew wider. “And I smelled your Quidditch smells…”

 

“...But I haven’t been on the pitch since Thursday,” Louis finished.

 

The pair were silent for a second, just staring at each other with wide eyes.

 

“Didn’t that book say…” Louis trailed off.

 

Harry nodded. “There was a line about soulmates.”

 

Louis stared at him for a second. Then, “Would you like to go sit under a nice tree by the lake with me for a while?”

 

Harry nodded slowly, smiling. “Like a date?”

 

Louis smiled. “Well, we did just say we’re soulmates, so it seemed in line…”

 

Harry grinned, dimples popping. “I think I’d love that.”

  
Louis smiled back at him, just as bright, and grabbed his hand, pulling him away and out of the dungeons, smelling the crisp apple all the way out of the castle and into the sun.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading this !!
> 
> theres probably gonna be more i dunno we'll see
> 
> im on tumblr if you wanna share your feelings


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